Subtle Changes
by Paimon
Summary: What would you do if you were in the past? But not just past past... past like... a 1000 years ago! Yoh must keep up with the changes he is causing for the life of his brother and his life in general. It doesn't help when the shaman fight unexpectedly comes around unannounced. And with someone looking for him... things will not be easy Warning: AU, Sort of Time Travel


Authors Note: Tao Men is not Ren's son. He's a tao member who just happens to have the same name. This is the prologue and Yoh-centric fic will start next chapter.

Warning: The ending is somewhat AU. The Elemental Warriors are more powerful(by a lot) than they were in canon and they kept the Elemental Spirits. I think they really should have kept them since the Elemental Spirits belong to their respective warriors right? It's in the wiki.

China around 1000 years before canon

Tao Men, heir to the Tao Family, was currently having a dilemma. His proud family of shamans was in a political conflict for the usurpation of power. Several branch families desired the power of being the main house. To him though, it was rubbish. There was no way they would be able to overthrow the main house. Of course, that was until he learned that the branch families made an alliance between themselves. The alliance made his parents and grandparents go into an uproar.

He was walking down the hallways when he saw a what seemed to be a 10 year old boy. The boy had blue hair and what made him stand out was the spike in his hair. He seemed to be a Tao judging by that. What struck him though, was that the boy was holding a kwan dao. Men did not remember someone like that in the family. It was possible that the boy was a spy. But surely they would've had better choices? Like someone who was skilled and strong. The boy just didn't seem to fit the bill.

He decided to approach the boy and was met with the tip of the boy's kwan dao to the back of his neck. It was difficult to believe but the boy was fast. Not just fast fast but super fast. He didn't even see, hear or notice the boy moving.

"Who are you and where are we?" The boy questioned him. The tone of the boy was intimidating and threatening even to a talented young shaman like him.

"I'm Tao Men and we're at the Tao family estate" He decided to answer. But the way he answered though, was surprising to him. He sounded too meek for someone who was going to be the Tao family head in the future.

The 10 year old seemed to be thinking before asking him….

"And what year is it?"

" XXXX"

Shock was clearly evident in the young boy's face. There was something going on Men concluded. Something big if he had to be specific. And it had something to do with the boy.

* * *

Tao Ren, one of the Great Five Elemental warriors and one of the most powerful shamans in history, found himself confused of what was going on. He didn't know what was happening. One moment he was looking for Yoh who just suddenly disappeared and the next he found himself in what seemed to be The Tao family estate's hallway. But it wasn't as quite as he remembered it. There were subtle differences. And if there was something he learned from experience, it was that one should never believe everything that one sees. It didn't help that it seemed like his body was smaller than it was supposed to be.

He was brought out of his trance when he felt someone approaching. It was what looked to be a 16 year old who seemed to be a Tao based on his features. He swiftly got behind the man and put him into a dangerous position. The interrogation was met with the most surprising answers but the teen didn't seem to be lying. Ren, unlike Chocolove and Horohoro, was smart. Thus, he was more rational and open minded and was quickly able to accept things.

" I see" Ren said simply. He then proceeded to put down his weapon. "Allow me to introduce myself, I am Tao Ren" Ren extended his hand for a shake.

"Tao Men, heir of the Tao family." The heir shook the hands of the boy. "I haven't seen you around. Considering your name are you a branch family member?"

"Yes." Ren decided not to alter with things so it would be better for him not to mess with things. Besides, he had better things to do than alter things such as finding Yoh.

"Oh" That answer served to relieve Men. The boy being in the estate meant that he was one of the branch families that did not decide to go rogue. The boy was also strong if he considered the boy's ability to get behind him and put him in a disadvantageous position. "Wanna go for a walk with me?"

"I shall take you up on that offer"

As they were taking their time walking they were developing close bonds. It seemed to Ren that Men was just like him before. Arrogant, selfish and talented. Although Men was considerably young he was more talented than his brothers and thus proclaimed heir. His arrogance though was something else. In fact, the only reason why Men was not rude to Ren was because Men came to the conclusion that Ren was simply put… dangerous.

"I see. So the Tao family is in a big mess right now." Ren concluded.

"Yes. The other branch families even went as far as offering their services to the military to bring down the main house. I'm afraid things will go badly this time. The result is anyone's guess" Men confirmed Ren's statement. "The possibility is that they might even resort to making Jiang shi out of the ordinary people and coupled with the army, swarm the estate. Even with the Tao family's Jiang shi army things will be difficult. Not to mention the many daoshi that are on their side."

"Jiang shi? How old fashioned can you people get?" Ren asked with a sneer.

"Old fashioned?" Men replied with a question of his own.

"Fighting using Jiang Shi might seem powerful but it has a lot of weaknesses compared to using advanced shamanic techniques such as oversoul. If you fought an advanced shaman using Jiang Shi in the shaman fight you would lose"

"Oversoul? Shaman Fight?"

"Oversoul is an advanced shamanic technique that is commonly used in the shaman shaman fight is a tournament where shamans from all over fight to determine the shaman king. The savior of the world. The winner will obtain the power of the Great Spirit. And it would not be an exaggeration for the winner to be called a god"

They talked and talked and before they knew it it was already nighttime. Their pleasant conversation was cut off by an anxious servant who was running towards them.

"Young Master enemies are approaching! The army and Jiang shis!" The poor servant panicked so much that he fainted. Poor guy.

Men quickly ran towards the forefront of the soon to be oncoming battle with Ren following him of course. The sight in front of him though greatly put doubt in his heart. The sheer number of the oncoming forces about to attack them was so great that it dampened his self esteem. Not that he would let anyone know though, after all he was a Tao.

"Looks like they weren't willing to waste any time at all" A huge man calmly analyzed. "This battle will be fierce" He added. The man was the current head of the Tao family.

* * *

The battle was indeed fierce. That, Ren could agree on. The magnitude of the battle would have left him speechless if he were at the level he was at before the shaman tournament started. The sheer amount of Jiang shis, Daoshis and soldiers clashing would leave anyone speechless. Men was actively involved in the battle with his mochireitachi the Torture Brothers who were considered some of the strongest Jiang shis in the Tao family's possession. Talismans could be seen flying here and there. Obviously the elemental warrior was not involving himself with the war. He had simply decided to watch the battle unfold before his very eyes. But as he continued to observe the battle that was currently taking place he could see the underhanded tactics used by the invaders. Ren simply hated people who didn't fight fairly. Just when a soldier was about to strike Men, he decided to rush in. With his great speed he was able to make it with more than enough time to spare.

"Thank you" Men offered his words of gratitude

"This battle…. It's a lost cause. The number on their side is simply overwhelming" The seriousness in Ren's voice was unavoidable. "It would be wiser for you to escape"

"I will not! It is against my belief and pride as a Tao!"

Ren had to say that he was impressed. Although the teen knew that he had no hope in the battle he still wanted to fight. He would normally think of it as foolish but he could also agree to it. After all, one time he was like that as well. That powered shamans was their will. As long as one had the will one could go on forward.

"Hmp. Spoken just like a true Tao" Ren started. "If that is the case, maybe I can help out just this once" As if brewing up a storm, as Ren finished saying that the dark night sky rumbled. One could feel the massive power gathering. Every being that was alive looked up to the sky. "**Oversoul: Spirit of Thunder" **

The shape of the one of the Great Elemental Spirits strook fear into the hearts of everyone. It's mere presence radiated power that none of them could believe. The spirit raised it's right arm and suddenly a thunderstorm broke loose and hit all the enemy Jiangshi with lightning strong enough to incinerate it in one go demonstrating it's immense strength. Of course the strength of the lightning was not even a fraction of the true capability of the Elemental Spirit but they didn't need to know that.

* * *

"Cheers!"

"Good Riddance to those traitors!"

"Serves them right!"

The cheering of the ones on the side of the main side was endeniable. After Ren had entered the battlefield it didn't even take a minute for the tide of the battle to change. The Spirit of Thunder intimidated every living being after the it destroyed the enemy Jiang shi with relative ease. Of course, no one else but Men knew about Ren's contribution with the Spirit of Thunder.

"Cheers!"

"Alright!"

Amidst the cheering Men came up to Ren and asked him to walk outside with him once more. The night sky was very beautiful indeed it was as if the thunderstorm that Ren conjured up never happened in the first place.

"Thank you for what you did back there"

"It was nothing. You are a Tao after all"

"It's a beautiful night"

"Indeed"

But just as Ren a star which Ren knew all too well…. The Ragoh arrived. It certainly didn't make sense for Ren. The shaman fight was every 500 years. Unless…. The timeline had changes and thing would go differently. But of course…. This meant another thing for him. Something much more important.

"What was that!?"

"The ragoh"

"Ragoh?"

"The star which signals the beginning of a new era for humanity. In other words, the star that heralds the start of the shaman fight" Ren said ominously. One would say that Ren was afraid of something if they didn't know him well. However, in reality he was excited. "I must go"

"Huh?! Where?"

"Kyoto. If I'm correct, then the test for participation will take place there" Yes, that was if he was correct. Based on the research of his grandparents it was said that the shamans that participated in the shaman fight 1000 years ago gathered in Kyoto.

'_Just you wait Yoh….. I will find you….. And when I do…'_

* * *

"Hachoo!"

"Is something wrong?" Mappa Douji… errrr Asakura Hao as he decided to call himself after meeting his so called brother inquired.

"Someone must be talking about him behind his back" Ohachiyo suggested. Why was he here? Well, he was summoned from the afterlife by the so called brother of the human whom he once brother seemed to have some skills of being an Itako. Although the said human seemed kind, he could feel something powerful from him. He was hiding something that was for sure.

"I feel so too! But why would anyone talk about me?" Whined Yoh. "But anyway… that star… Ragoh huh? Looks like the shaman fight will take place sooner than I expected. Nii-san!"

"Hai!?" Asakura Hao asked. After Ohachiyo's passing he had come to grieve. But after meeting his otouto he became cheerful because Yoh had the ability to call on spirits in the afterlife. He had then began to pursue obtaining skills in shamanism after meeting his mother(courtesy of Yoh's summoning) and began to become the cheerful child he was meant to be. Yoh summoning Ohachiyo to be his mochirei made him happy because he could spend time with Ohachiyo again.

"Looks like we'll have to step up your training a notch. Your talent certainly is helpful. But it still won't be enough when fighting against Kami-class shamans."

"Ok!"


End file.
